The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-19
REV, DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "These Flying Years"
TEXT: "How Old Art ThouT-Genesis

The Egyptian capital was the focus oi
the worlds wealth. In ships and barges
there had been brought from India, CHINA
mon and frankincense and ivory and dla-
monds. From to north, marble and iron.
From Syria, silks and parr--s. From Greece,
the finest horses in the world and the most
brilliant chariots. From all parts OF the
earth, everything that could please the eye,
OF charm the ear, or gratifv the taste. There
were temples of flaming red sandstone entered
by gateways guarded by piilars bewilderlng
with hierogbyphics, and wound around by
brazen serpents, and adorned with winged
creatures, their eyes and beaks and Plnlons
glittering with precious stones. Trere were
marble pillars blooming into white flower
beds There were stone pillars, the top burst
ing into the shape of the lotos in full bloom.
Along the avenues lined with sphinx and
fame and obelisk. Princes rode in gorgeous
palankine, or were drawn in vehicles by snow
white horses golden bitted, six abreast, dash
ing at full run. There were fountains from
stone-wreathed vases climbing the ladders
of the sun. A bolt would shove and door
of brass would open like a flash Of the sun:
There were the odors of gardens all around
about the palaces-odors climbing the
terraces, or dripping from the ar
bors, or burning their incense, in the
were written all over with the glories of
Pharaoh, written in letters of porphyry and
beryl and fame There were ornaments
twisted out of the wood of tamarisk enl-
bossed with silver breaking into foam. There
were footstools made out of single precious
stone. There were chairs spotted with the
sleek hide of leopards. There were beds
fashioned out of a crouche lion in bronze.
There were sofas footed with the claws of
wild beasts and armed with the beak of
birds As on some summer day you stand
on the level Of the sea beach, and for miles in
this direction and miles in that direction
you see the foam Of the breakers driven
shoreward. so it seemed as if the sea of
the worlds pomp and wealth in that
Egyptian capital were flung up in white
breakers of temple and mausoleum and obe-
lisk. 1t was to that splendid city, and to the
finest building in that c ty, the rala:e OF
Pharaoh, that old Jacob, the shepherd far
mer, came to find his sou, joseph, who had
become Prime Minister and was living in one
of the royal apartments. There Pharaoh and
Jacob met Dignity and rusticity. The
gracefulness of the rala"e and the plain man.
ners of the field. And haraoh, the King, to
put the old countryman at ease, and notlclnS
how white his beard was and how feeble his
limbs, looks familiarly in the face of the
aged shepherd farmer and says: "How old
art thou?n
Night before last, the gate of eternity
opened to let in amid the throng of departed
centuries the soul of the dying year. Under
the twelfth stroke of the braZen hammer OF
the city clock the old patriarch fell dead.
What fortunate thing it is that we have
this milestone on the road Of life showing
how far we are getting on toward the end OF
tie journey, and this morning it is appro-
pirate that look into your faces as Pharaoh
looked into the face Of Jacob, and ask you
the same question: "H w old art thou"
People who are truthful about everything
else will lie about their ages! So will put
no one of you under temptation. l want
this morning to apply a higher test
than the ordinary test. There is a
right way and wrong way OF measuring
measuring tower, and there is right way
and there is wrong wayof measuring our
earthly existence Therefore. with this higher
meaning approach you to-day, and with all
the solemnity involved in the question l ask
you: GLOW old art thou!' A great many
people, notice, measure their existence by
worldly qualification. When Lord Dundas
81 hope it will be great deal happier. than
the old year, for did not have one happy
momont in all the twelve months" But that
has not been the experience Of most
of rs. The most of us found out that though
this world is blasted, it is a bright and
beautiful and glorious world. There Is no
war between the Gospel and merriment and
.
think we do not thank God enough for
worldly pleasures. Why do not yon go back
further in recounting your merciess Why
do not you 60 clear back to the time when
you lay an infant in yoUr mothers arms,
looking up into the heaven of her Smile'
Why do not you go back to the time when
you filed the house with uproar Of
boisterous merriment-to the time when
with shout You pitched the ball on
the playground, to tie time, the cold,
severe, winter night when, muff1ed
mp to the chin, on the skates you shot out
over the resounding ice Of the pondl Were
you ever boy? Were you ever a girl
Have you thanked God for early blessings?
JOY! Joy JOY! From those times to this,
oh how many blessings have breathed up to
us from the flowers, and shone down to us
from the stars, and shouted to us with the
voice Of soaring bird. and tumbling cascade,
and b6oming sea, and thunders with hayonets
OF fire charging down the mountain side.
joy Joy JOY But while all this is true,
how unwise that man who measures his life
BY worldly gratihsat0n shsss Life Mt is not mot
foam of an ale pitcher. it is not the dregs Of
wine cup. 1t is not to be n scene of intoxi-
cation and registering. will tell you what
lifeis. Life is the FIRST step on ladder that
mounts into the skies, or rhe first step on a
road that plupges into horrible abyss 1t
Is the keying up Of q harpor it is the forging
of chain. Standing here to-day in the first
Sabbath in the new year. mansions on one
side and dungeons on the other, songs on one
side and groans on the other, Heaven on one
side and hell on the other, / put to YOU the
tremendous question of my text: Chow old
art thou!n Toward what destiny art thon
tending! How soon will you reach 1t?
But notice a great many other people
measure their earthly existence by their sor-
rows and their misfortunes. Through the
life of many Of you tho plow has gone
deep, turned up terrific furrow. How you
have been lied about, and maltreated, and
slapped Of impertinen"e and pounded of
misfortune. In the brightest life there are
shadows. In the smootheSt road there are
thorns Upon the most beautiful brood the
hawk poupces. John Milton. while he was
losing his eyeSight heard that Salmatos was
glad Of it. Pope, applauded for his poetry
all the world on Ell, wa' SO annoyed at his
STOPPING shoulders that in order to avoid
the eyes of the public, he had tunnel dug
through which he walkel day by day from
garden to grotto and from grotto to garden.
Sheridan. while his play was being enacted
in Drury Lane Theatre, heard that his
enemy, Cumberland, was growing at it in
the stage box. Bishop Cooper's lexicon
manuscript. the result of lifetime's toll, is
by termagant vie thrown into the fire.
Canno, the Spanish artist, was disguised
with the crucifix the priest handed him, be-
cause it was not a good specimen OF sculp-
ture: And sometimes through the taste, and
sometimes through learned menace, and
sometimes through the persecution Of the
world, and sometimes through physical dis.
tresses, aye, in ten thousand ways, there come
annoyances and sorrows and misfortunes
and tragedies. But that is a very I'M